We Are Family
by JesusLover13
Summary: AU. When Link moves to Hyrule from a far away land, all he dreams about is visiting the abandoned castle. But instead of being greeted with the fantasy he'd always imagined, he's greeted with his new, dysfunctional foster family.
1. Return To Hyrule

**Well, I've been writing this fanfiction for a while now and decided to finally post it. It's really been fun to write so far! ^_^**_  
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**A few things (and a few places) change about Hyrule and the OoT game in this fanfiction. Link is not out trying to save the world. He's a regular person. Hyrule isn't in any major danger and there aren't creepy monsters everywhere. And some of the characters play different roles in this fic than they do in the game. The rest will be pretty much self explanatory. :)**

**Anyway, I hope y'all like it! ^_^**

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_Chapter One: Return To Hyrule_

Summer was just coming to an end. It had been a fairly peaceful year so far. Maybe even a bit boring, but that was to be considered a good thing. Link had busied himself by writing about the journeys of a young lad who traveled all around Hyrule to find a lost treasure and rescue a princess from a dangerous villain.

Writing had always been his passion, even though many of his friends had thought it was merely a dumb hobby.

But it was more than that to the teenager. Writing was his way of escaping his troubles and finding himself enchanted by a world beyond his reach.

Of course, Hyrule was a real place, but Link liked to imagine that the castle there _wasn't _abandoned. He liked to imagine that a beautiful princess lived there - one who cared about others and was working to defend all of Hyrule even before she was to become queen.

He often wrote about that fairytale princess as well as the adventures of a young hero who worked to save the land and win the girl. They were simply epic tales, but Link often looked to them for comfort when his world seemed to be far too complicated.

So, yeah. His summer had been very well. He'd been left alone, for the most part, to write. But, inevitably, he had to leave his room on the final day of summer to move _to _the place he'd so often written about.

He'd been there, a few times before, back when his mother was still around. She had also loved the castle and everything about Hyrule. She had once dreamed of working in the royal palace as a singer.

Before Link was born, there actually had been a princess and a royal family living in Hyrule Castle; but they had all left and moved elsewhere before he entered the world, leaving the place vacant.

Going back to Hyrule without his mother would be difficult, to say the least, but Link was excited even in spite of the reason he was going there.

Moving to live with another foster family wasn't exactly what he'd call "thrilling," but if it meant he'd get closer to the place that captivated his fantasies, he didn't mind moving as much.

It was a long, lonely ride there, but nevertheless, he made it. His blue eyes stared in wonder when he spotted the castle towering over Castle Town.

The carriage had stopped, but Link was too amazed to move. It had been at least three years since he'd been here. He remembered how happy his mother had been back then, how her face lit up when the two of them entered Castle Town. She had gone on and on about her dreams of being a singer and about how she wished the royal family still lived in the castle so Link could see them for himself. She'd said that he would have liked the princess.

He'd dreamed for many years of returning to this place. And now, he was here, where all of his stories had taken place. He couldn't stop the excitement from flooding through his body in a way that almost made him shiver.

"Hey, kid," said the man on the horse who'd driven the carriage there. "Are you done daydreaming or what? Just give me the money and get out. I have other places to be."

Link absent-mindedly handed the man some money before grabbing his backpack and hopping off of the carriage, not taking his eyes off of the castle for even a second.

He heard the sound of the horse galloping away, but it sounded distant. Everything seemed so surreal. He could hardly believe he was standing there, alone, staring up at the place he'd so often written about.

He _had_ to explore that castle, that was for sure. He could only imagine how it looked, even in its abandoned state. It probably had long, decorated hallways and wide, beautiful rooms with chandeliers that shined mesmerizing lights and lit up whole rooms. Any sort of treasure could be hidden anywhere in that entire castle and Link would be sure to find it and then write about his journeys and explorations afterward.

He'd do that, even if he had to sneak in. In fact, maybe he could just blow off going to his foster home and live in the castle instead. The palace would be the perfect place to live. No terrible parents, no noisy siblings; nothing at all except Link and the castle. The walls could echoe back to him his thoughts and the entire place could give him more than enough inspiration for his stories.

The more he thought about it, the more the idea sounded like more than just a wonderful daydream. It sounded like the perfect plan for a perfect life. He had plenty of clothes, a lot of paper, and enough money for food.

Speaking of food, he realized that he was getting hungry. Pulling off his backpack, he unzipped it and rummaged around for his money.

He went into a slight panic when he saw no rupees _anywhere _in his backpack.

No. This couldn't be happening. There's no way he could have lost his money. That was all he had. It was all of his money for food and other necessities. How could he have been so stupid to lose it?

He dug even further into his bag, pulling out clothes as paper went flying everywhere.

That was all. It wasn't there. Where on Earth could it have gone?

He sighed and hung his head in defeat when he remembered _just _where all of it had gone.

Upon arriving in front of Castle Town, he had been so entranced with the castle that he may have given the driver more than enough money - or _all _of his money, to be exact.

Great. Now what was he going to do?

In a matter of seconds, his dreams of living in Hyrule Castle had vanished and he now realized that he had no where else he could go _but _his foster home. At least there was a chance they'd have plenty of free food there.

But he decided not to give up on his castle dream just yet. There was still a chance he could live there, but maybe after he earned some money.

"You lost, kid?" came a voice from behind him.

Startled, Link jumped to his feet and spun around, his blue eyes wide. "What?"

The guard in front of him looked unamused, but kind. "Are you lost?" he repeated.

"Oh. Um..." Link glanced down at all of the items that had once been in his bag. They were now cluttered around on the ground. "Not exactly."

The guard laughed. "I know an outsider when I see one," he said. He motioned to the stuff sprawled about on the ground. "Need some help?"

"No, thank you," Link replied quietly. He did, however, quickly get to work on picking his stuff up.

"I'm Takeyuki," the guard went on. "I'm a guard in Kakariko Village. What's your name?"

Link knew by now that it was better not to trust anyone. Ever. So, he ignored the question. "Kakariko Village?"

"Yeah. That's a village located right over that bridge and up those stairs." He pointed.

Link nodded. That's where he needed to be.

Takeyuki tried to meet the eyes of the teen, but found himself unable to do so when Link kept his eyes focused on the ground as he picked up his belongings.

"So, where are ya headed, kid?" the guard asked.

Link stifled a sigh when he realized how nosy that guard was. He debated on not answering at all, but he knew that that'd seem suspicious, so he spoke, "I'm going to Kakariko Village. My new home is there."

"Your new home?" Takeyuki questioned, confused. "Oh! You must be staying at Talon's place. C'mon, I'll show you the way."

Link immediately shook his head. "No. I mean, thanks for the offer, but I'll make it there on my own."

"Really, it's no problem at all," Takeyuki insisted. "I'm heading that way, anyway."

"I guess," Link said slowly. He still didn't trust this guy, but maybe the man would have some exciting stories about Hyrule Castle. Link picked his bag up off of the ground and started in the direction of Kakariko Village.

Takeyuki gave him a friendly smile as he walked next to the teen. "So, Buddy, where are you from?"

"Someplace far away," Link answered. He spoke again before Takeyuki could ask anymore unwanted questions. "How long have you been a guard in the village?"

"Well, it's been about seventeen years since I came to Kakariko Village, but I was a guard at Hyrule Castle for three years before that."

Link's face suddenly lit up and he had a newfound interest in this talkative guard. "Really?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound _too _eager. "Did you know the princess?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Takeyuki answered. "She was a real sweet girl."

"I bet," Link said, imagining what it must have been like to know and work for the princess.

"Welcome to the village," said Takeyuki, pulling Link out of his thoughts. "It's small, but everyone here is pretty nice."

Link nodded silently, looking around. He wanted nothing more than to leave right then and there. It would be just another foster home, just another group of loud, annoying kids. Just another headache to distract him from his dreams.

"So, how long are you gonna be staying here?"

"Don't know," answered the blond boy with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, you'll like it once you get used to it." He motioned to the boy's backpack. "That all you got?"

"Yeah."

Link avoided anymore awkward conversations on the way to Talon's house. The guard loved to talk and Link didn't mind listening as long as he didn't have to say much. Mostly, Takeyuki just talked about his family and how much he loved his wife and kid.

Still, after hearing the man go on non-stop about them, Link was almost thankful to reach his destination. _Almost._

"Well, here we are. Hope you get settled in real fast. It's actually a nice place even though there's a lot of young'uns runnin' around."

Link took a barely noticable deep breath. "Yeah. Thanks for showing me the way."

"No problem," Takeyuki replied. "I'll see you around sometime."

_Maybe, _Link thought. He wasn't so sure he wanted to talk to a nosy guard on a daily basis, even though he appreciated the warm welcome.

Standing at the doorstep of the house, Link realized how easy it could be to turn back now. No one other than Takeyuki had even seen him arrive. He could run away and no one would ever find him. All he had to do was leave now, leave silently, and he wouldn't have to worry about foster homes or any of the trouble that came with them.

That's all it would take. He could leave.

He was still weighing his options when the door suddenly swung open - hard - and hit him right in the face.

He stumbled back a few steps, trying to stop his vision from going hazy.

However, he couldn't stop it and some girl with green hair was the last thing he saw before he blacked out.

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**In case anyone was wondering, Takeyuki is supposed to be the Death Mountain Trail Guard. I couldn't find a real name for him, so I used that one. :P**

**Thanks for reading! Review if you liked it, please! ^_^**


	2. Welcome To Paradise

**A lot of different characters appear in this chapter. xD This is still only the beginning of the story, but I really love writing it! ^_^ Thanks to everyone who reviewed, added this to their favorites, and followed. It means a lot. :) Y'all are awesome! ^_^**_  
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**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! :D**

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_Chapter Two: Welcome To Paradise_

"Saria! How could you be so clumsy?"

"I didn't mean to hit him! I didn't even know he was there!"

"If his nose bleeds, can I watch?"

"No!"

"I thought only girls fainted..."

"Ssh! I think he's waking up!"

Link's eyes fluttered open. He knew that the voices were unfamiliar and he couldn't remember anything after the door had hit him in the face. Rubbing his head, he slowly sat up. "What's going on?" He scanned the room. When he'd thought that foster care was a headache, this wasn't exactly what he'd meant.

A girl with green hair hurried over to him, kneeling down beside him. "Are you okay?" she asked, worry written all over her face.

He didn't even know what to say at first. He was far too confused. He realized he was laying on a bed decorated with tons of greenery. "Where am I?" he questioned.

"He's not very bright," muttered a tough-looking guy sitting in a chair across the room. He, like the girl, was dressed in mostly green clothing.

The girl, who looked to be about Link's age, ignored the other boy and spoke again, "I'm so sorry for hitting you with the door! I had no idea you were standing there!"

Link shook his head slowly, trying to get all his thoughts together. "No. It's fine. It wasn't your fault." He finally stood up. "Where's my bag?"

"Oh. I think we let-" She stopped when Link suddenly raced over to two little kids, twins, who were going through his backpack, pulling papers and clothes out of it.

He snatched it out of their hands. His stories were all he had left and he wasn't about to let them mess that up.

The kids were on their feet in seconds and they raced out of the room to avoid any yelling that may result from them rummaging through the tall boy's stuff.

"They were just playing around," said the girl with the green hair as she watched Link pick up his belongings and shove them back into his bag. "I'm Saria. What's your name?"

"Link."

"That's a nice name. You must be the new kid, huh? Talon said you'd be coming soon."

"Talon? He owns this place, right?"

Saria giggled. "Yes. He lives here, too, but he's busy working at the ranch right now."

"He has a ranch?"

"Yep. Lon Lon Ranch," answered the boy across the room. "Where have you been? Under a rock?"

Link shot him a look, but didn't say anything.

"Sorry about him," Saria whispered. "He's always kind of cranky. His name is Mido."

"And don't you forget it," Mido chimed in.

Link rolled his eyes. "So, where's my room?"

"It's down the hallway, to the left. Don't be surprised if you have some interesting roommates." She smiled a friendly smile that Link chose to ignore.

"Yeah," Mido said. "Interesting and devestatingly handsome." He winked at Saria before standing. "I'll show Prince Papers to his room."

Link glanced back at Saria. She seemed to be nice, but surely she wouldn't be any different than his other foster brothers and sisters. She would only be another loud, annoying distraction.

Right?

"Sorry again about your head," the girl told him.

Link shrugged. Mido flashed Saria another grin before whispering to Link, "She won't be sorry when you have a huge bump on your head. Then she'll just laugh at you."

Link tried to look amused by this, but managed nothing more than a frustrated grimace. He wordlessly left the room and headed down the hallway to attempt to find his room while Mido attempted to flirt with Saria.

The new kid was almost there when a pale boy, around his age, pushed past him angrily. "Watch it," the strange boy mumbled.

Link shook his head and kept going until he finally found his room. Two bunkbeds were set up on two different sides of the semi-small room. Each bed clearly belonged to a different person.

A top bunk to the right, decorated with green, stood out in contrast to the beige walls. Painted beside that bunk was some grass and even a smiling sunshine.

Across the room, on the lower bunk, was a cucco sitting on a neatly-made bed with black and yellow blankets. The cucco, oddly enough, was blue and Link wondered if it would try to peck his face while he slept.

Above the odd bed was a bed decorated with a ton of rocks surrounding a... rock mattress. Even the wall had been decorated to look like a mountain.

Link shook his head at his roommates' beds and set his bag down on the bed below the green one.

So far, all this house looked like was _another _headache - one to match the one he already had. Most of the kids seemed rude, annoying, _too _friendly, or too thieving. He sighed quietly and took a seat on his bed. So far, this place sucked. But at least it was someplace warm to stay until he could live out his dream of staying in the castle.

Maybe he could just stay out of everyone's way for the time being. He leaned back against the headboard and began writing another hero's tale to add to his collection. This one started with the hero defending the princess as she tried to protect her home and her family.

The epic battle was quite intense and Link found himself engulfed in the story more and more with each passing sentence. He often surprised himself with his writing abilities. He figured he had gotten them from his father, who had also been a writer.

He'd never met the man, but his mother had told him many stories of him. He wrote adventurous stories as well. But his hero was no Hylian - it was a Zora.

Link sometimes found himself wishing he could read his father's work. He imagined it to be exciting and captivating. Maybe even somehow exhilarating.

Of course, his mother had lost all of the old books long ago when they had moved for the first time, only a few months before Link would become a foster child.

He couldn't help but wonder what his life would have been like if his mother hadn't left. He'd probably get more support on his writing and he'd experience more real life adventures. Maybe he would even live in Hyrule Castle with her already. The idea sounded like something she would have come up with. She would have loved it too. And she would have lived out her dream of becoming a singer there.

Feeling a single tear come to his eye, Link decided to think about something else. He wouldn't cry here - especially not on his first day.

"Whatcha doing?" came a girl's voice from the doorway.

Link, startled by an unexpected voice, looked up to see a girl standing there. She had red hair and a kind smile that lit up her face.

"Oh." He rapidly blinked a few times, hoping that the tears would disappear before they even had a chance to fully form. He glanced down at his paper. "Just writing." He paused for a moment. "Who are you?"

"I'm Malon," she replied with a grin. "What's your name?"

"Link. I'm new here."

She laughed. "I should know. I've lived here all my life. Talon is my dad. He owns this place. I help him at the ranch a lot, but today was my day off." She walked over to him. "What are you writing about?"

He flipped the page over by habit. Although he loved his stories, he was kind of apprehensive about letting anyone else read them. The only ones who ever had were just a couple buddies back in his old town. "It's... a long story. And it's complicated."

"Looks like it," she said, motioning to all the papers he had covering his bed. They had apparently spilled out of his backpack. She smiled. "Mind if I read it sometime?"

His face went red. "I guess not..."

"Well, welcome to our home, Link," she told him, turning to leave. "I'm sure you'll like it here after a while."

Link nodded in response.

She exited the room after giving him a small wave. He wondered if she truly was that nice or if she was just putting on a face. He hated that he was so cynical, but he couldn't help it after being in so many different places over the last two years.

He turned back to his paper, hoping to finish at least another two chapters before anyone else interrupted, but his eyelids soon grew heavy and he drifted off to sleep.

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After a dreamless sleep, Link's blue eyes finally came open. He let out an involuntary yelp when he noticed there was a face only two inches away from his. He backed up, flabbergasted, trying to move away from whoever it was.

The Goron standing in front of him looked surprised and backed away.

"Who are you?" Link demanded, on the verge of getting angry. He was unsure of whether or not he should be mad. After all, the little guy might not have known any better.

"I'm Link," the Goron replied. "What's your name?"

"Link," the blond teen replied carefully. "Do you live here?"

"Yes, I do. And so do you. I sleep over there." He pointed to the top bunk, the one with all the rocks. "And you sleep here. It's really a mess, though. You'd better clean up before Talon gets home. He wants everyone to make their beds every morning and you didn't."

"I just got here." Link said up, grabbing a handful of papers and putting them back into his backpack.

"Are you the paper prince?" asked the young Goron.

Link laughed for the first time in what felt like a while. "No. Who told you that?"

"Mido. He says you think you're Mr. Fancy Pants, but you're really a wimp. He says the biggest wound you've ever gotten was a paper cut. So, you're the paper prince."

Link tried not to look too angry. After all, it wasn't that little guy's fault that Mido had no self confidence and therefore had to pick on others to feel better about himself.

But he had plenty of ideas for revenge. Ideas that he'd learned over the years from other so-called "siblings." And Mido would wish he had messed with someone else.

"Well," the other Link began, somewhat awkwardly, "I guess I'll be going now. Anju promised she'd play rock hole with me." He smiled before turning to leave.

Link was a bit confused at why the Goron had even shown up in the first place, but he had to admit, the Goron was far easier to talk to than everyone else he'd met thus far.

A second later, a girl appeared in the doorway. Why did everyone have such an interest in speaking to him?

This girl had blond hair and bright eyes, but a mischievous smile on her face. "Hi." She looked around the room for a moment. "Dinner's ready, if you were planning on eating. The food here isn't as bad as you'd think, honestly. But that's only because Malon cooks it. Talon is not a good cook - _at all._"

Link nodded, wondering why she'd had the sudden urge to give him all this unwanted information.

She smiled widely. "I'm Fado, by the way. And you're Link."

"How'd you know?"

"Some Goron told me."

Link put a few more papers into his backpack before standing up. "Well, I guess I'll come to dinner, but I might need a hand finding the kitchen."

She nodded and batted her eyes flirtatiously. "Sure." She took him by the arm and headed out of the room. "Maybe you can finally meet everyone else at dinner."

"Maybe."

By the time they reached the dining room, Link was wondering if the circulation in his arm had been cut off by her tight grip. "Look who came to join us," she said.

All eyes turned to Link and he tried not to blush. Attention wasn't really his thing.

A tall, Zora girl stood up. "Hello," she greeted, smiling. "My name is Ruto." She turned to Fado, shooting the other girl a glare. "_What _are you doing with him?"

Link, confused, carefully freed himself from Fado's grip and found an empty seat, far away from _both _girls, next to the other Link and another redheaded girl. This girl had blue eyes and looked to be older than Link and most of the other kids there.

"Hi," she greeted with a soft smile. "I'm Anju."

Link nodded, getting almost tired of friendly people, and glanced around the table.

Much to his surprise, there were quite a few people there. He recognized Saria, Malon, Mido, and the pale guy with no shirt who'd run into him earlier.

An older man sat at the opposite end of the table, looking tired, but content. He must have been Talon.

"Good," he said. "Now everyone's here." He smiled warmly at all of the youngsters around the table. "Dig in." He was the first to do so, shovelling a bunch of food into his mouth at once.

Link slowly began eating a bit of the food, unsure of what it was. It tasted fairly good, though, so he kept eating.

"Hey, Ruto, pass the salt, wil you?" one of the twins asked.

"Why don't you get it yourself?" she snapped, shooting them a glare.

"Because we wanted to see a miracle," the other twin said, smirking.

"_What _are you talking about?" she asked.

"It'd be a miracle if you ever got off your lazy, stuck up butt."

"Children, please," Talon began, but he couldn't say more, because that was when the quiet guy, who never wore a shirt, interrupted.

"The twins are right, you know," he said, without looking up from his plate. He had a quiet voice, but there was no doubt he'd been heard.

"At least I don't smell like dog poo everyday, Grog," she shot back, sending him the iciest glare she could.

"I'd take that any day over smelling like a fish," he muttered.

"I AM a fish!" she shouted.

He snorted. "Whatever."

"Children, stop it right now," Talon chimed in again. "You shouldn't be speaking-"

"You know what?" Ruto interrupted. "I didn't even want to be here in the first place. It's not my fault I got stuck here with these mental patients!"

"It turns out you _can _catch stupid like a cold, Ruto," Fado said. "We all got it from you."

"Guys!" Malon shouted, not yelling, but loud enough for them to hear. "Stop arguing! This is stupid."

"Well, who died and made you boss?" Mido asked.

Saria slapped him on the arm. "Be quiet."

Link wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when he came there, but this was certainly not it. He glanced at Anju, only to find that she looked very distressed. He even managed to sneak a glance at the other Link, who was grinning, apparently enjoying the argument.

"I know!" Talon wanted nothing more than to change the subject. Despite the fact those kids could be a handful, he knew that deep down, they had good hearts and all they wanted was to be loved. But right now, he wondered if taking in so many had been such a good idea. "Why don't we all go around the table and say what we're thankful for?"

Grog sighed and shook his head. "I hate this family." He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up before leaving the room, causing Anju to get up and go after him.

"At least we agree on _something,_" Ruto said. She, too, stood up. "I'm going for a swim."

Talon looked concerned. "Don't forget about curfew."

She rolled her eyes, reaching for the doorknob. "Yeah. Like _you_ can tell me what to do. You're not even my real father." She slammed the door behind her when she left.

Link could practically feel the tension at the table and he didn't like it, at all. He'd lived in a lot of houses over the last two years, but this was definitely not a boring one. He wondered if it'd always been this way.

"Well..." Mido said with an upbeat voice. "I'm not really that hungry. Besides... I have to..." When he couldn't come up with a good enough excuse, he simply left the room.

Link noticed Saria glaring at the table, clearly frustrated with her friend.

When she noticed Link looking at her, she tried to smile, but it was no use. Everyone was in a bad mood.

Well, _almost _everyone.

"That. Was. _Awesome!_" exclaimed Goron Link. "Let me go get a camera and then maybe you guys can do that again. We'll be famous!" He hopped out of his chair and rolled through the house.

Complete silence was all that could be heard at the table right then. Link wasn't even sure if he could hear anyone breathing. He wanted nothing more than to go back to his room and write, but, at this point, leaving the table would be rude and awkward.

A voice suddenly broke through the silence, "I'm thankful for my dad." It was Malon. Her simple sentence immediately brought a smile to Talon's face, relieving him of all his stress and worry.

"I'm thankful for my sister," both twins said at the same time.

Talon's smile grew wider. He was thankful for the calm bunch or children, even with the exception of Fado.

"I'm thankful for being in this family," Saria chimed in. "Without you guys, I don't know where I'd be."

Link couldn't stop the smile that found itself on his lips. Saria had been very optimistic with that statement. He had never seemed to find foster homes that he was thankful for. But Saria had found one and she apparently loved it.

"I'm thankful for the newest member of our family," Fado said, grinning at Link as she winked.

Link tried not to shudder. "Uh... I'm thankful to be in Hyrule."

Talon grinned at them. "I'm thankful for our family," he said. "I love you, kids."

Link smiled, but he wasn't sure if he'd ever say the same thing.

_Maybe someday, _he thought.

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**Hopefully Ruto and Fado were okay. xD We didn't see enough of Fado in the game to know how she would act in a... not-weird conversation. So... I tried my best.**

**I have no excuses for Ruto, other than the fact I haven't played OoT in a while.**

**Also, the twins are based on the girls in Kokiri Forest. There was two who looked alike (maybe three?), but it never said their names. That's who they're supposed to be, though. If you guys can think of any names for them, that'd be greatly appreciated. :)**

**Anyways, thanks for reading! Review if you liked it, please! ^_^**


	3. Of Cuccos, Ranches, and Playing Hooky

**I finally found the chapter I'd lost! :D I've been trying to do better about updating my stories lately. I always feel like I _should _update them, but a lot of times, I lack inspiration. Since I've been in love with all things Zelda lately, though, I decided it would be a nice time to update this. Thanks to everyone who added this to their favorites and followed it. Also, thank you to alfred pierce (I love your username for some reason xD) and SailorZeldatheLightAlchemist for reviewing! ^_^**

**Thanks, SailorZeldatheLightAlchemist for suggesting some names for the twins! I did actually use one of them (Mori)! So, thanks! :) Everyone give her (or him) a round of applause. ^_^**

**I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! :)**

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_Chapter Three: Of Cuccos, Ranches, and Playing Hooky_

Link's eyes snapped open when he heard a cucco crowing loudly. He stifled a gasp and sat up in his bed. He'd been having a great dream about the knights of Hyrule Castle when he'd been so rudely awakened by...

What was that? The blue cucco that had been on Grog's bed the day before. It crowed again and Link shot Grog a glare.

The other boy hadn't even opened his eyes, but he smirk on his face was unmistakable.

"It's too loud," complained the Goron above the "sleeping" boy.

"Yeah, Grog," Mido said. His voice sounded muffled, like he was talking into his pillow. "Shut that chicken up before I have him for breakfast."

Link noticed when Grog's smirk faded, but thankfully, he didn't say anything - meaning they had just barely dodged another argument like the one the night before.

Just before going to sleep, Goron Link and Mido had gotten into an argument about whether or not to keep the night light on. It was something dumb to argue about, but Link ended up winning when Mido realized that no matter how young the Goron was, he was still tougher than a forest kid any day.

So night light it was.

Mido seemed to get into arguments with everyone, even Saria. But it also seemed as though he _liked _to argue. Which was good, because Link was ready to argue for a long time if Mido ever said anything else about him being a weak writer.

The blue cucco crowed again, ready for everyone to get up. Link debated on whether or not to throw a pillow at it.

"Grog," Mido began, a warning tone in his voice. "I wasn't joking. Cojiro will be fried chicken if you don't keep him quiet."

Grog sighed, yet again holding his tongue, and leaned off the bed to grab his pet.

Link stood up, pulling a wrinkled shirt out of his backpack and putting it on. His jeans, which he'd slept in, were wrinkled too, but he could care less about that. He just wanted to get out of the house for a while. He grabbed his backpack off the ground and slung it around one shoulder.

"Hey, Miss Daisy," Mido said from above. "Where the heck are you going? It's six o'clock in the morning."

"Well, if you must know, _Peaches, _I'm going outside. Maybe I'll see that feminine sunshine like the one painted on your wall."

"Saria painted that!" Mido shouted in his defense.

Link didn't care. All he wanted to do was go outside where there was peace and quiet.

Suddenly, someone shrieked from the hallway. Link darted out of the room. Not an emergency. Not on his second day there. His heart was pounding. What had happened?

Ruto stood there, in the middle of the hallway, her hands clenched into fists. "Grog! You need to learn how to control your dumb pets! You should see what your dog did on my bed!"

Link stared at her as though she'd just grown three heads. _That _was the big emergency? A harmless dog pooped on her bed? He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You just wait," she said. "When his rodents start doing their business on your bed, you'll understand."

Anju came out of the girls' room. "Did you just get home, Ruto?"

"Yes. And that dumb brother of yours is already stinking up the place with his animals."

Anju tried to stay calm. "Look, I'm sure it was all just one big misunderstanding. I'm sure Grog had no idea the dog was out."

"It _pooped _on my bed!" Ruto shouted, seeming to grow angrier by the second.

"No," came a calm voice from behind Link. It was Grog, looking sleepy. He had that familiar smirk on his face, though. It was rare to see even that from him, but he couldn't help it. It was awesome seeing Ruto so mad. "It wasn't the dog," he explained simply. "It was me." He smiled, content, and walked right by all of them.

"WHAT?!" Ruto shrieked.

Anju was appalled. "Grog!"

He chuckled softly. "It's fine, Anju. I'm only joking. Honestly, I have no idea how the dog got out. I put him with the others outside last night."

Fado chuckled evilly as she exited the girls' room. "Oops," she muttered.

Link rolled his eyes and headed outside. He'd seen enough of this family for one morning.

He'd barely made it seven steps away from the house when he heard a voice coming from behind him. "Link! Wait up!"

He sighed and reluctantly stopped walking.

A second later, Malon appeared at his side. "Good morning," she greeted with a kind smile.

Link nodded at her wordlessly.

"I'm late for work, but I was wondering if you'd like to come to the ranch." She had a hopeful look in her eyes and Link knew he'd kick himself later if he refused now.

"I guess so," he said slowly.

Her face lit up. "Okay. Let's go!"

A few minutes and one angry horse later, the two of them arrived at Lon Lon Ranch.

Link was quite surprised at what he saw. The ranch was actually a bit larger than he'd expected and it had a welcoming feel to it.

The sun rose above them, casting shadows all around. Even though all of this was simple, Link was pleased at how imperturbable this place was compared to their home.

"Do you like it?" Malon questioned as the two of them headed into the stable.

"Yeah."

Malon smiled, grabbing a pair of gloves off a shelf.

"What are those for?" asked Link, his eyebrows furrowed.

She laughed. "Work, silly." She put her gloves on before tossing him a pair.

He stared down at them in utter disbelief. "But... I don't..." he trailed off. "I mean... I've never..."

She grinned. "There's a first time for everything." She started out of the stable without even a second glance at him.

He inwardly groaned and followed her back outside. It wasn't that he didn't like working. It was just that he'd never worked on a ranch before. And quite frankly, he'd never wanted to. He loved horses and cows, but he just wasn't a ranch kind of guy.

"Everyone has to work on the ranch," she explained as they headed toward the horses.

Link snorted. "I don't see anyone else here."

She turned around and pointed toward the cuccos. "My dad and Ingo are here." She smiled softly, seeming to light up the area around them. "Besides, everyone has different work days. The twins work on Tuesday; Ruto and Fado work on Wednesday; Link and Grog work on Thursday; Friday, Saria works; and Saturday, Mido works. Then you on Monday."

"What about Sunday?"

"The ranch is closed on Sundays, but Ingo still goes, sometimes with my dad, to take care of everything."

"What about you?" Link asked. "Do you work everyday?"

"Almost." She smiled. "I get Sundays and Thursdays off. I would get Saturdays off, too, if Anju could work here and make sure Mido behaves. But she has to stay home and hold down the fort."

Link nodded. "So... how come you get Thursdays off, then?"

"Because my dad doesn't want me to overwork myself," she explained. "I didn't like the idea at first, because Link and Grog have been known to get in trouble around here, but Link has this thing about wanting people to trust him. So, my dad said they could work alone, even though he'd be keeping an eye on them."

Link rolled his eyes, not sure if he'd actually trust those two.

Malon walked over to a stack of hay outside the horses' pen. She bent down, picking up a smallish bale of it. "Think you can handle this?"

Link nodded, looking determined, even though he wasn't so sure. How heavy _was _hay, exactly?

She grinned, handing it to him. He backpedaled a few steps, but quickly caught himself to avoid embarrassment.

Malon laughed at him, but he quickly gathered his strength and headed around the horse pen to give the hay to the horses.

Malon followed behind him, effortlessly carrying a bale of hay like it was nothing.

Link couldn't believe she was stronger than him. He used to work out, and he was once on a track team, but he hadn't had many opportunities to go back there over the last summer.

"Sorry about last night," Malon said quietly, walking up beside him.

He turned to look at her as he set the bale of hay down on the ground. He gave her a nervous laugh. "Yeah. That was... something."

She offered him a sad smile. "They always act like that." She glanced sorrowfully at her father, who was still with Ingo, trying unsuccessfully to herd the cuccos together. "It really upsets my dad when they act like that. He's trying really hard to help those kids, but... they don't want to be helped, I guess."

Link nodded, almost feeling guilty. He wondered how many of his old foster parents had said something like that at at least one point or another.

Malon smiled softly when one of the horses walked over to her, but she still looked kind of sad. "Ruto likes to argue the most," she explained.

Link cocked an eyebrow. Really? He'd thought Mido did. "Why's that?"

She sighed. "Back in Zora's Domain, her father was really rich. There, she was practically royalty. But her father always ignored her. He even had a special servant to look after her so he wouldn't have to." The red head shrugged. "She says that it didn't bother her, but I know it did. When his servant moved away, and his work in the domain got too busy, he sent Ruto to live with us. He said that when things get better, he'll bring her back to Zora's Domain, but he hasn't yet. I'm not sure that he will at all. She seems to think otherwise, though."

Link made a pained expression. He couldn't imagine how that must have felt. He was quiet for a few moments. "So... that's why she's so angry?"

Malon nodded. "Yeah. Well... that and because she thinks she should be treated like royalty in our home as well. Which, obviously, will never happen."

Link managed a small chuckle, but he was silently thankful that something like that had never happened to him.

Sure, his mom had left him all alone, but at least he'd never been ignored.

"What about Saria? And Mido?" he asked.

"They were neighbors before they moved here to Kakariko Village. They lived in Kokiri Forest. Both of them grew up in rough homes, but they always relied on each other for support and friendship. They're basically inseparable, even though Saria has threatened to knock his teeth out on more than one occasion."

Link laughed Malon continued, "They were some of the first kids my dad took in. The twins, Mori and Maria, are Mido's cousins. They were also looking for a place to stay and ended up here."

Link nodded. He found it hard to believe that a group of people who were so incredibly different from each other could all end up in the same place. He hadn't even thought about how hard some of these kids had had it before they'd arrived at Talon's house.

"As for Anju and Grog," Malon started, "they were abused and then abandoned when they were really young. They were sent to Hyrule to live with their uncle, Mutoh. They stayed with him here in Kakariko Village for a long time until Anju turned eighteen. She was away from home quite a bit then, looking for a job so she could eventually get her own place and live there with Grog.

"In the meantime, Grog began to get into a lot of trouble - he was just angry, I guess - and Mutoh decided that he could no longer allow the two of them to stay at his house. He tried to send them to their grandmother, who also lives in town, but she wanted nothing to do with either of them. Anju still didn't have a job or a home, so Grog had to be put into foster care."

"How did they end up at your house?" Link questioned.

"Grog was sent there and we offered for Anju to stay at our place as well, as long as she took a job taking care of the cuccos at home. We pay her to take care of them and she's saving up so that one day, she and Grog can have a home of their own. But Grog hates it at our house Anju is only trying to help him adjust. Like I said, he's really angry."

Link nodded, trying hard not to remember his days of anger. He was pretty over all that had happened now. But he sometimes found himself wishing his mother was there to share his love of Hyrule and writing.

He pushed the thought away and decided he might as well ask about the final two of the group. "What about Link and... what's-her-name?"

"Fado?"

"Yeah."

"Link ran away from home when he thought it was too boring. He ended up in the village. Dad found him and took him in. He's been with us ever since."

"He ran away because it was too _boring?_" Link asked incredulously.

"Yep."

"And Fado?"

"Fado was a girl we found in the Lost Woods. She was scared and she kept going on and on about a Stalfos. We took her in not too long after Link showed up."

Link nodded. All of these people were so different and yet they all seemed to end up in the same place. Why was that?

"What about you?" Malon asked. "What's your story?"

Link shrugged. "It's a long one."

"Well, I don't mind-"

She stopped when a beautiful horse came walking over to them, nudging Link with its nose. He rubbed it, after a moment's hesitation. "Who's this?"

"Her name's Epona." Malon smiled at him. "She's usually shy, so she must like you."

Link grinned with pride, stroking the horse. "Epona," he repeated. "That's a nice name."

"Yeah."

"Uh, kids?" Ingo called from across the yard. "Your father went home. He said to tell you two to get back there as soon as possible. It's important, apparently."

Malon and Link exchanged looks of worry and confusion. Immediately, they headed away from Lon Lon Ranch and back home.

"It could be anything," Malon said, panting as she ran across Hyrule Field with Link, less than ten minutes later. "Ruto could have ran off again, Link could've gotten his toe stuck in the kitchen sink like last time, the twins could have painted the floor green... Anything!"

"Calm down," Link told her. "I'm sure everything's fine."

Malon shook her head. With that family, anything and everything could go wrong. And it would, too.

They came bursting into the house a little while later, surprised to only find ten pairs of eyes staring at them with confusion.

"Are you two okay?" Talon asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Is a bad guy chasing you?" Goron Link asked excitedly.

Malon shook her head. "No... Ingo told us to get over here as quickly as possible. I thought it was an emergency."

Ruto snorted. "Nope. It was just you two overreacting _again._"

"Again?" Link wanted to knock on her head to see if anyone was home. "You just met me yesterday."

She raised her eyebrows, silently daring him to challenge her.

Talon shook his head. "Anyway, kids, I was chasing cuccos around the ranch when I realized something very important."

"And what was that?" Mido asked.

"Today was the first day of school. I forgot and all of you skipped."

Oh. School. Link suddenly realized one of the many reasons he hated moving.

"You all start tomorrow."

* * *

**Ooooh. School. XD Bet you didn't see that one coming. Or did you...? .**

_**A few things I should mention...**_

**1. _If anyone is wondering the ages of all the people living in the house,_ you can use your imagination. Obviously, Talon and Anju are adults (and Talon is clearly far older than Anju), but the rest are teenagers and children. The teens, in order from oldest to youngest are: Anju (if you still count her as a teen); Ruto, Link, and Malon are about the same age; Grog, Fado, and Saria are about the same age; and Mido is a year younger than them (not sure why I always pictured him a bit younger than Saria, but if you didn't, that's fine - whatever makes you happy). :) The children: Mori and Maria; and Goron Link.**

**There's no certain age any of them are, because I'd rather you guys use your own imaginations for that. Setting a certain age for them would be hard, too, since all I really know is that I want the teens (except Anju) to be in high school.**

**2. It's a very real possibility that Link will have a love interest in this story - definitely not any time soon, but in the future of this fic. I think it'd make things interesting, but I don't plan on going overboard with romance. It's just not my cup of tea right now. xD So, if I can figure out how, I'm going to put a poll on my profile and you can vote for which LoZ girl you'd like to be Link's girlfriend. If you're anonymous, and still want to vote, you can just say which one you prefer in a review. You'll all have to do that if I can't get the poll thing figured out. xD I wonder who it will be...?**

**_The choices shall be:_ Zelda, Ruto, Saria, and Malon. (I know, not a lot of options, but I was trying to stick with OoT girls and I doubt you guys would want the Great Fairy to be an option. xP) I might put some people from Majora's Mask in the school, though, and possibly people from Skyward Sword, if we don't have enough to make an actual school. If you guys would like to see any characters in future chapters, just let me know. :)**

**Thanks for reading! ^_^**


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